Eclipse
by S. Chiba
Summary: Selene and Endymion had a tale of love and loss... but there is also another story that rivals their own.


I wrote this story for the NJ State Latin Convention... yeah im a dork. what can i say? its a spin off of the story of Selene and Endymion.

to those of you reading Pretty Woman: dont kill me? im working on it... this one just happened to be done...

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Eclipse

The legendary myth of the Moon goddess Selene and the handsome slumbering shepherd, Endymion has been told and retold over the centuries. Familiar are we to the tale of the beautiful immortal and her handsome Earthly lover. However, there is another story, less well known, but not lacking in romance or… tragedy.

The story of Eclipse, one of the many daughters of Endymion and Selene begins at the young demi-goddess' birth. Like her other siblings, Eclipse had inherited the pale beauty of her mother coupled with the enchanting youthfulness of her father's slumbering features. As she grew older, Eclipse expressed unlimited compassion for all elements related to Earth. She loved the way the flowers bloomed n different colors much like the shades produced by the Rainbow goddess, Iris. She loved the feeling of grass under her feet as she danced under the bright warm sunlight of the Sun god, Helios. However, her most loved aspect of Earth was the clear blue of the seas that reflected the heavens. In it, she saw the world out the darkness she was so accustomed.

One day while Eclipse was admiring the calm blue of a small pond, she found an image obscuring the azure perfection of the water. Surprised, the beautiful demi-goddess turned around to look at the curious creature that had marred the beauty of her pond. He looked much like her father, Endymion, with wavy brown hair and blue eyes. It was the blue eyes of the young man that captivated the demi-goddess. They were the same cerulean as the ocean, the same color as a clear blue morning sky after a night of silvery darkness. In that one moment, the future seemed decided as the divinity vowed to find a way to be with the mortal.

Up in the heavens, Helios watched the scene take place. The golden god blazed with jealousy as he saw the demi-goddess interact with the moral prince. Ever since Eclipse had been old enough to venture underneath the gold rays of the Sun, Helios had been enthralled by her exquisiteness. The pale beauty of Eclipse had become like a serene glowing light, drawing the fiery god like a moth to a flame. For several days, Helios watched as the daughter of the Moon goddess showed her mortal lover in her silver light and with each night that past, the sun set under a brighter, more passionate halo of scorching orange, a representation of the god's jealousy.

When the mortals prayed to Zeus in fear of the bright flaming colors of the setting sun, the king of the gods knew that something had to be done. Already, the blistering rays of the Sun had set fire to much of the green land. If the Sun god were let to summer with his anger, the Earth would be in danger of being burned to nothing in the heat of his envy.

"What is the cause of all this?" Zeus asked the god.

"The daughter of Selene dances with a mortal prince." Helios replied the jealousy uncontained in his voice.

Knowingly, Zeus nodded. It was rather apparent the infatuation the Sun god had with the daughter of the Moon. Remembering the time Helios had supported him during the Titan War, the king of the gods knew he was under the obligation to assist his ally. However, Zeus also knew the Selene would not approve of intervention in her daughter's affairs.

Finally, Zeus proclaimed, "If you can find a way for this daughter of the Moon to have you, she will be yours."

Though not the ideal solution to his jealousy, Helios conceded the option. As he drove his fiery horses across the sky the next day, the Sun god plotted his plan. The simplest way it seemed was to get rid of the mortal man. However, that was easier said than done. Since the day of their meeting, Eclipse was rarely seen from the side of her lover. At first, Helios tried to separate the two by sending out his hottest rays to Earth in hopes of keeping the man indoors. Unfortunately, that plan, along with many others, failed. Finally Helios saw no other options but to enlist the help of the goddess of Love, Aphrodite.

Aphrodite had heard of the entangled triangle of attraction and smiled with amusement as she listened to Helios' plea. To think a Titan helpless in the hands of love, the thought itself was humorous. Perhaps enjoying the dilemma a little too much, Aphrodite agreed to help the golden god of the Sun.

"Take this vial and give it to Eclipse. Have her give it to this mortal man she is in love with. Once he drinks it, the man will fall out of love with the demi-goddess in an instant." the goddess instructed handing a small glass bottle to the god. 'Though, I don't see why you are so jealous. Mortal men are fickle." Aphrodite added as an afterthought.

Helios thanked the goddess, hardly containing his eagerness to drive his chariot across the sky to bring on a new day.

Eclipse sat waiting for her prince when a shower of bright golden yellow appeared before her. Helios, clean shaven, and dressed in the golden colors of the day descended from his spit in the Heavens and stood before the demi-goddess.

"I have something for you, Eclipse"." he said holding out the potion.

Eclipse blinked as she tried to see past the god's bright aureole. Beautiful as she was, Eclipse was naïve and unused to the ways of guile and trickery. Helios felt a feeling of triumph as he watched the enchanting creature take the vial from his outstretched hands.

"Give this to your prince." he smiled charmingly. "And forever will you stay together… with me." he whispered quietly to himself as the girl thanked him.

That day, Helios watched the two lovers with interest waiting for the moment when the mortal would drink the potion. The vial contained the special water for Aphrodite's Spring of Bitterness. It was said that one drop of the liquid would make affection disappear in an instant, but for true love, the consequences were much more dire.

"Down on Earth, Eclipse happily explored the forest with her mortal man oblivious to Helios' cunning plot. At noon, the sun made its way toward the center of the sky and sent out sultry waves of heat. Helios hoped that heat would entice the two sweethearts to stop and relax. Much to the god's glee, the couple followed his expectations and stopped to rest under the shade of a blooming apple tree. The two, lay next to each other, admiring the perfection of the blue sky and oblivious to the word in their lovers' bliss.

"The sun is very generous in his favors today." the mortal remarked, sleepily.

The comment reminded Eclipse of the liquid Helios had given her earlier that day. Sitting up, she reached into her robe and pulled out the clear glass vial.

"here, drink this." she offered. "It will help with the heat."

Grateful for the girl's ability to produce a solution, the young man took the vial without hesitation and took a sent of the contents. His thirst quenched, the mortal turned to thank his lover when suddenly the smile on his face froze and the small bottle dropped from his hands. Eclipse stared in horror as she saw Hermes' figure descend from the heavens.

"No!" she gasped, not able to believe what had just come to pass.

Hermes gave his fellow deity a pitying look before leading the white shadowy soul of the mortal to a destination known only by those who were ready to go onto the world of Hades. Helios watched in terror as he saw Eclipse follow the messenger god. Did she not know where the god was leading the soul? Eclipse followed her lover's spirit until they reached Charon who was waiting to row the newly deceased across the river Styx. She watched as the soul entered the boat and Charon began to take the journey to the Underworld. As she wept, the demi-goddess saw no more life on Earth or in the Heavens with her divine family. There seemed only one option.

"Without love, there is no life." Eclipse uttered as she closed her eyes and let herself fall into the river Styx.

Helios cried out as he saw his unrequited love fall into the river. When Selene discovered the end of her beautiful daughter, she fell into a pit of despair, refusing to show her face and shed light onto the Earth at night. She wanted everyone to know the darkness of her pain.

Finally, after much persuasion, Zeus managed to relieve the goddess from most of her grief. As a result, four times a year, the Earth is plunged into darkness as the Moon hides her silvery face from the mortals as a way of remembering her daughter.


End file.
